KKJZ 88.1 FM

Originally with the call letters KLON (and later renamed KKJZ) the station has been broadcasting jazz since 1981. In December 2004, KKJZ increased transmitting power, going from 6,500 to 30,000 watts as well as an HD Radio digital signal 88.1FM.

The ӰState University, Long Beach Research Foundation has contracted with Global Jazz, Inc. to program and provide supporting services for KKJZ 88.1 FM. KKJZ Fundraising, Inc. conducts fundraising activities on behalf of the ӰState University, Long Beach Research Foundation for the benefit of KKJZ 88.1 FM.

"KKJZ 88.1 and Global Jazz are committed to the promotion and preservation of the rich cultural heritages of Jazz and Blues through engaging, inspiring and informative programming that satisfies the most dedicated music aficionados, while attracting newcomers of all ages."

 

The following are the Diversity Policy Guidelines for KKJZ and its licensee, ӰState University, Long Beach Research Foundation (“Ӱ Research Foundation”).

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

KKJZ’s policy is to provide equal opportunity to all persons without regard to race, religion (including religious dress or religious grooming), color, sex (including pregnancy, perceived pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding and medical conditions related to breastfeeding, transgender status), national origin, ancestry, age, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, registered domestic partnership status, sexual orientation, gender, gender orientation, gender identification, gender expression, genetic characteristics, or any other characteristic protected by law. KKJZ policy prohibits harassment of applicants or employees related to these bases.

Review of Station Practices

Consistent with past practice, and as further suggested by the CPB Policy Guidelines, KKJZ ensures that the diversity goals as outlined above are adhered to in all hiring matters. Additionally, station management reviews internal practices to ensure continuing compliance with applicable FCC guidelines on an annual basis.

Diversity Statement

The CPB Policy Guidelines include a request that each community service grant recipient prepare a brief statement that covers (a) the elements of diversity that KKJZ finds important to its public media work, (b) the extent to which its staff and governance reflect such diversity, (c) the progress the station has made to increase diversity in the last two to three years, and (d) its diversity plan for the future.

This document as a whole is submitted as constituting such a statement.

Initiatives

The CPB Policy Guidelines asks that the station undertake on an annual basis at least one of five enumerated initiatives. In this regard:

  • KKJZ works closely with its licensee to offer paid student internships in all aspects of running a radio station;
  • KKJZ participates in diversity job fairs; and
  • KKJZ provides diversity training for management and appropriate staff 

2015 CPB Survey for KKJZ

Describe your overall goals and approach to address identified community issues, needs, and interests through your station’s vital local services, such as multiplatform long and short-form content, digital and in-person engagement, education services, community information, partnership support, and other activities, and audiences you reached or new audiences you engaged.

One of our main goals remains the promotion and preservation of jazz. We continue working to meet this goal with our constant examination and improvement of on-air programming and by our strong involvement in the community. Even recently, we have expanded our on-air programs to provide a wider range of music, as well as our education of the audience about the music. Over the last year, KKJZ continued to expand on its work with community music and arts groups and charities. KKJZ also produced live music events in the community throughout the year, many of them free to the public. We also provided four scholarships for jazz studies students at Ӱ and employed four paid student interns, whom are now working in full year internships. The year-long internships have been helpful for the station and the students as they are gaining more exposure to running a public radio station. KKJZ also has been able to get more involved with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, as well as with the Los Angeles Jazz Society, Friends of Jazz at UCLA and the ӰJazz Foundation. The goal has been to reach as large and diverse of an audience as possible and to assist as many community groups, particularly music, art, and education based, as possible.

Describe key initiatives and the variety of partners with whom you collaborated, including other public media outlets, community nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, the business community, teachers and parents, etc. This will illustrate the many ways you’re connected across the community and engaged with other important organizations in the area.

KKJZ has continued to expand its work with community music, arts groups, local charities, and other public media outlets. One key initiative has been producing free community concerts. We worked with Hollywood & Highland on the Wine & Jazz Series and partnered with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art ("LACMA") to promote their Jazz at LACMA series on Friday nights and their Latin Sounds series on Saturday nights. We have collaborated with LACMA to present their Jazz at LACMA series on-air on Sunday evenings. The broadcast contains two sets of music by local Los Angeles musicians and an interview segment that is intended to educate the public. We aired the series every Sunday evening, from 7-9pm in 2015.

What impact did your key initiatives and partnerships have in your community? Describe any known measurable impact, such as increased awareness, learning or understanding about particular issues. Describe indicators of success, such as connecting people to needed resources or strengthening conversational ties across diverse neighborhoods. Did a partner see an increase in requests for related resources? Please include direct feedback from a partner(s) or from a person(s) served.

We evaluate the effectiveness of our community events, our work with local arts groups and charities, our student internship program, and our jazz scholarships throughout the year. We stay in regular contact with our community partners to determine our impact and whether we should modify our contribution to be a more effective partner. We meet with our student interns to discuss their assignments, experience, and feedback and we communicate with the Jazz Studies Program at Ӱ regarding the impact of the four jazz scholarships. One example of our success with the student internship program is our recent hiring of an intern from last year’s program. We trained a particular on board operator work when she expressed an interest in this field as a student intern. She is now working on her own as a board operator and show producer on a live KKJZ show each week. An example of the success of our jazz scholars involves Jason Fabus, a saxophonist and accordionist. Jason was part of the Jazz Studies Program at Ӱ and he is now performing professionally, including at the KKJZ Fall Benefit Concert we held in September with the group Sasha’s Bloc.

Please describe any efforts (e.g. programming, production, engagement activities) you have made to investigate and/or meet the needs of minority and other diverse audiences (including, but not limited to, new immigrants, people for whom English is a second language and illiterate adults) during Fiscal Year 2015, and any plans you have made to meet the needs of these audiences during Fiscal Year 2016. If you regularly broadcast in a language other than English, please note the language broadcast.

KKJZ regularly airs public service announcements and arts reports and airs weekly public affairs programming regarding community groups. Our emphasis with the public service announcements is to support diverse and often minority groups and audiences. We also partner on and sponsor free community concerts and events, provide paid student internships and four jazz scholarships.

Please assess the impact that your CPB funding had on your ability to serve your community. What were you able to do with your grant that you wouldn't be able to do if you didn't receive it?

The CPB grant plays a crucial role in our ability to serve our community. Underwriting is always challenging in public radio, particularly for a jazz radio station that does not air news/NPR programming, and fundraising remains challenging in our economy. The CPB grant allows us to continue creating local programming and to produce and sponsor community concerts and events.

Audited Financials

CPB-AFR